producers and then they will decide who makes it on air. "america's got talent" typically airs during the summer here on nbc. janelle was duensing during the commercial break. >> i know. tonight, time is running out. the government shuts down at midnight and the impacts on families will be felt far and wide. a last-minute scramble. can they cut a deal? >> who was the doctor you sent to keep us healthy and help us get through? the doctor who was our abuser. >> now four of the five gold medalists from london say this predator targeted them. the flu emergency far more lethal for kids than this time last year. and there's a startling new look at how easily it is transm transmitted. can you spread the flu just by breathing? snakes on a plane and dogs, pigs, ducks, even kangaroos. if it feels like noah's ark up there, you're not alone.

the new crackdown on all those emotional support animals on board. how a t-shirt and a trip to disney world helped save a father's life. >> i was desperate. i was desperate. >> an amazing story of survival. this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening. i'm savannah guthrie in for lester, and it is crunch time now. we are hours away from a government shutdown. today, a mad scramble up and down the halls of congress, up and down pennsylvania avenue, as top lawmakers left the hill for the white house, meetings and calls with the president, all in a mad scramble to get a deal. at this hour, washington is once again on the brink and the clock ticks. nbc's capitol hill correspondent casey hunt starts us off. casey, good evening. >> savannah, good evening to you. these developments are happening so quickly. senate leaders are in fierce negotiations with the white house, trying to break the stalemate.

now just hours before the government is set to shut down. president trump earlier this afternoon summoning democratic leader chuck schumer down pennsylvania avenue to the white house. >> we had a long and detailed meeting. we discussed all of the major outstanding issues. we made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. the discussions will continue. >> reporter: both sides scrambling for a last minute compromise with just hours to go until the government was set to close at midnight. >> any progress? >> hopefully. >> reporter: mr. speaker, are you going to leave town with the government potentially shutting down? last night, house republicans passed a bill to keep the government open for three more weeks, earlier this morning threatening to leave town without waiting to see what happened in the senate. you guys are going out of town even though the government is shutting down? >> we did our duty. so why would we wait around? what are we doing? >> reporter: but quickly reversing course, advising members to stick around as negotiations

kept going, senator lindsey graham still working with democrat dick durbin to try to find a compromise to help the so-called d.r.e.a.m.ers. but senate leaders facing off. republicans accusing democrats of hurting millions of kids who rely on the children's health insurance program, which would be extended under the spending bill. democrats accusing republicans of abandons hundreds of thousanders of d.r.e.a.m.ers facing deportation starting in march. >> we're on the edge of our seat. every day it's changing. something new, something added. >> reporter: it means everything for your future? >> it's our lives. >> reporter: democrats insisting republicans will take the blame for the shutdown. >> mitch mcconnell has got to understand that he needs 60 votes. he does not have 60 votes. that means he has to start negotiating with the democrats. >> reporter: now we're still waiting for the senate to start that key vote. sources telling nbc news there's still a chance they could strike a deal before midnight, possibly to

keep the government open for another two or three weeks, when we could be right back doing this all over again. savannah? >> casey, thank you so much. while the political maneuvering continues, what actually happens if the government shuts down? unfortunately, we've been here before. nbc chief white house correspondent hallie jackson on what will feel it first and hardest. >> reporter: this typically fast-paced city ready to grind to a halt, from the library of congress to the capitol to the pentagon. >> we do a lot of intelligence operations around the world, and they cost money. those obviously would stop. >> reporter: but if the government does shut down, all active duty troops do keep working. so does the fbi and the special counsel focusing on russia along with tsa screeners and air traffic controllers. but none of them gets paid during a shutdown. members of congress do. >> i think that the congress has forgotten they're servants of the people and they're living like celebrities. >> the american people are probably right now looking at us and

shaking their heads. and i can't blame them. >> reporter: so what stops? military death benefits, for example, and passport updates. but social security checks keep getting sent. va hospitals stay open. national parks will too although with reduced services. and smithsonian museum also close monday. more than half of cdc employees are expected to be furloughed right in the thick of a deadly flu season. and the irs will feel the pain, too, as they scramble under a new gop tax law. >> if the irs stops working, how do you actually implement your policy? >> hallie, it's why we don't want the government to shut down. it's why we don't want the irs not to have workers here. >> reporter: mike works for the epa where it's business as usual next week. but week after that, who knows? >> i feel badly for the employees at our office, some of which live paycheck to paycheck that are

worried about where is my next paycheck coming from? >> reporter: president trump had been planning to spend the anniversary of his inauguration tomorrow at his mar-a-lago resort. but tonight we're told he will stay in washington until this shutdown drama gets resolved. savannah? >> hallie jackson at the white house, thank you. while most of the oxygen in washington is consumed by shutdown talk, the president did something today that no other president has done before him. he directly addressed a massive crowd of anti-abortion activists at the annual march for life rally at the nation's capital. he didn't do it in person. we get more from nbc correspondent kristin welker. >> reporter: president trump leaned into the march for life rally by satellite from the rose garden, the event just blocks away from the white house. >> the march for life is a movement born out of love. >> reporter: supporting his conservative base. >> i think it's amazing that we have a president who stands up for life. >> reporter: for joanne whose daughter katie was adopted,

today is personal. >> abortion is not the answer. we have adoption. >> reporter: but the politics also loomed large as a businessman mr. trump supported abortion rights but ran as an anti-abortion republican candidate. once in the oval office, he's touted some victories for the movement, like nominating conservative justice neil gorsuch to the supreme court. but other campaign promises have lagged, like his vow to defund planned parenthood and limit late term abortions. why should anti-abortion supporters feel confident that president trump is going to get some legislative victories? >> the pro-life movement has seen a really great year of progress making sure that our taxpayers are not footing the bill for abortions worldwide. >> reporter: tonight, abortion rights advocates say they're increasingly concerned the president is chipping away at access to safe abortions, contraception and women's rights. >> we've seen this growing sense of need to stand up, need to use our voices. >> reporter: for those

who marched today, new momentum. kristen welker, nbc news, washington. now to those chilling confrontations today in a courtroom in michigan, victims and parenting facing down disgraced usa team gymnastics dr. larry nassar. now, the reckoning may just be getting started. >> reporter: at the 2012 london games the u.s. women's gymnastics team levelled the competition. four of these five athletes now say team dr. larry nassar abused them. >> who was the doctor that usag sent to keep us healthy? the doctor that was our abuser. >> reporter: jordan weaver and aly raisman were both in court today for nassar's sentencing hearing. >> larry, you should have been locked up a long, long time ago. >> reporter: raisman also says usa gymnastics is "rotting from the inside."

>> we're dealing with real lives in the future of our sport. we need to believe this won't happen again. >> reporter: on thursday usag announced it was shutting down the ranch run by coaching legends bella and martha corolyi, where many say nassar abused them. zwr usag failed to mention they had athletes training there the date they released the statement. >> reporter: they say they knew nothing about the abuse. usag says it went to authorities in 2015 after the first complaint. >> your actions have walked with me every step of the way. >> reporter: also under fire, nassar's former employer, michigan state university. tiffany thomas lopez, a soft wall player says she complained about nassar to her trainer in 2000. >> i was dismissed and just reassured that this was treatment and either take the treatment so you can get back on the field or you don't get to play. >> reporter: today in a letter msu asked the state attorney general to investigate the school's handling of complaints.

while raisman is calling for an independent investigation of both usag and the u.s. olympic committee. >> it's clear now that if you leave it up to these organizations, history is likely to repeat itself. >> savannah, the u.s. olympic committee says it has conducted independent reviews of its safety policy, but it's open to any new process that might come forward. msu says that a number of outside reviews have been done of its institution and they've not led to any criminal charges. >> a lot of people will be looking at this, though. stephanie, thank you very much. there are staggering new numbers tonight in the flu emergency sweeping across the country. they show just how dangerous this year is, particularly for children. and there's also a look at how easily the flu is spread, not only by coughing and sneezing. how about just by breathing? here's nbc's medical correspondent dr. john torres reporting from a busy er in pennsylvania. >> it's just a couple beeps.

>> reporter: when tori's daughter woke one a 105 degree fever this morning, she rushed her to the doctor. what do you think of that, she might have the flu? >> it scares me. as a mom, you think the worst. i hope it's not. >> reporter: she's right to be concerned. already this season 30 children, many of them healthy to begin with, died, compared to just five deaths last year at this time. so this is the tent? >> yes this is the surge hospital. >> reporter: the frightening rise in flu cases is forcing hospitals across the country to use mobile triage unit force the overflow of patients. it's like an er. >> it's a full functioning er. anything i can do in the main er, i can do in here. >> reporter: this one in the parking lot of lehigh valley health network in allentown. >> we put this up during the flu season because we see a massive rise in volume and surges. we wanted to get the patients out and seen as efficiently as possible. >> reporter: in some places, hospitals are restricting visitors, rescheduling surgeries, even facetiming appointments. and now new evidence

that keeping flu patients isolated is more vital than ever. a report out today says the flu virus may be spread not only by coughing and sneezing but also by just breathing. exhaled virus particles can stay in the air for minutes or even hours. >> if you're sick, stay home. >> if you're sick, stay home. don't go to work. don't go to school. these kind of things. >> reporter: an update cambry, the 3-year-old patient. she did test positive for the flu, was treated with tamiflu and discharged home with her mom. today the cdc shows no sign of the flu letting up. here at lehigh hospital they expect to see patients with the flu for at least the next few weeks. police are revealing new details in the worst mass shooting in u.s. history, but they still don't know the motive that led the las vegas gunman steven paddock to kill 58 people. while on paddock's computers, police

found his online searches showed him scoping out other potential targets, including colleges and sports venues, police also say they found child pornography, and while they're still seeking a person of interest in the case, police believe paddock was the lone gunman. no charges are expected against his girlfriend. now to california, where the story of 13 siblings allegedly subjected to years of torture and starvation by their own parents has horrified and enraged all who have heard the disturbing details. tonight miguel almaguer with the latest retails and new efforts to help them. >> reporter: at the home where 13 children are said to have been beaten, strangled and chained to furniture for years, today strangers leaving behind what their parents never gave them, balloons, flowers and toys. this as we spoke to a classmate of one of the victims who briefly attended community college. >> he was tiny in

frame, very, very thin, attended class in the same clothing, same pair of levis, same t-shirt for the entire semester. >> reporter: angie, who asked not to be on camera, remembers lunchtime at school. >> it was very apparent that he was hungry. he stood by the table. he didn't sit down with his plate and literally ate plate after plate after plate. >> reporter: the horrific details are torture and starvation turned this home into a prison in plain sight. >> everyone i'm sure around the world has heard the story. but not everyone knows what they can do to take action. >> reporter: clothes and cash are now flooding in. the victims 2 to 29 years old face a world of uncertainty, still living in a hell of their own created by the mother and father who were supposed to protect them. miguel almaguer, nbc news, perris, california. still ahead, it is turning into a zoo up there. why a major airline is cracking down on emotional comfort animals.

also, inspiring america, how a trip to disney world and a viral photo helped save a father of five's life.

we're back with a crackdown on commercial planes. it's a zoo up there and we're not talking about bad behavior among passengers. nbc news investigative correspondent jeff rossen has tonight's rossen reports. >> reporter: tonight delta is cracking down, issuing new rules for passengers with emotional support animals. people bringing pigs on flights, even ducks and kangaroos. the airline reporting an 84% spike in animal incidents including urination, defecation and biting. >> often it's about the money because one way to travel with a pet on some airlines can be up to $600, but

if that animal is designated as an emotional support animal, it gets to come with you for free. >> reporter: so experts say in recent years more and more people are cheating the system, getting certified online for an emotional support pet without any proof. i tried it in the past. what type of animal do you have? dog. getting my esa certification in just minutes. and boom, there it is. based on your responses, you are a good candidate for an emotional support animal. great. then they e-mail me this official letter from a real mental health professional. and before you know it, i'm flying with rory. my producer lindsey did it, too. with a pig. >> pig on a plane. >> reporter: but now delta's new rules making it harder to pass your pet off as an esa. you must provide the pet's esa certification, proof of health and a signed document saying your pet has been trained. you need to send the documents to delta 48 hours ahead of your flight. how will this help?

>> hopefully by reducing fraud but without putting a greater burden on people who really need emotional support animals. >> reporter: weeds out the bad ones, keeps the good ones able to do it? >> that's what we're hoping. >> reporter: late today, word that american airlines may follow delta's lead. jeff rossen, nbc news, new york. coming up, it's something that hasn't happened in over 25 years, but a lot of working moms will relate to this big announcement. and amazon prime is raising its prices. how much more you'll have to pay.

she's going to be a working mom who just so happens to have a country to run. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, announced she's pregnant with her first child. she'll be the first world leader to give birth in office since pakistan's benazir bhutto in 1990. ardern says she will take six weeks of leave although her country allows up to 22 weeks. the deputy prime minister will fill in for her. ardern's partner plans to be a stay-at-home dad.

amazon is hiking prices for prime customers who pay by the month. the fee will jump about 18% from $10.99 to $12.99 a month. if you pay annually, your rate stays at $99 a year. the company gave no specific reason for the monthly price increase but says it continues to invest in making prime even more valuable for members. and surf's up, way up, in the west. monster waves triggered by high winds have been pounding beaches up and down the west coast. some waves as high as 60 feet. too dangerous for even some of the world's best surfers. a major competition was put on hold south of san francisco. when we come back, the father of five who got a life-saving gift all thanks to a viral photo. "inspiring america" is next. a mix of rain, hail, and

and viewers are sending us video that shows some of the weird weather in their neighborhoods. plus, bay area women unite.

the one group who will be banned from speaking at this year )s rally.. next. finally tonight, a fateful vacation to disney world and the photo from it that went viral and helped save one dad's life. nbc's kristen dahlgren has tonight's "inspiring america" report. >> reporter: for robert leibovitz, the worst part of kidney failure isn't 12 hours of dialysis every week. it's knowing how much his five children worry. the donor list can be a seven-year wait. >> i was desperate. like what do i got to do that i can get a normal life back together? >> reporter: so he came up with a crazy idea. >> i thought, where am i going to hit more people than i am in a week in disney? >> reporter: a family vacation in this t-shirt. the picture went viral. >> within the first 24 hours, we had 33,000 facebook shares. >> reporter: but would someone out there actually donate one of their kidneys to a stranger?

>> i called him, like, hey, my name's richie. i saw your post. i have an extra kidney. i'm o-positive. >> reporter: miles away in indiana, richie sully, 39-year-old father of two girls, never thought of being a kidney donor until he read about robert. >> if i can give this guy 20 more years with his kids, i mean, who wouldn't do that as a parent or as a person? >> reporter: humanity has a new name, and its name is richie sully. where is my brother from a different mother? >> reporter: his kidney was a perfect match. so were their personalities. >> give me a piece of your kidney, baby. >> reporter: so this week at new york presbyterian cornell medical center, they had their surgery. richie humble. >> i'm not an angel. >> you're an angel. >> reporter: robert's mom. >> to us you're an angel. >> reporter: and kids set him straight. >> i can't explain how much this means. thank you so much. >> reporter: once a stranger who saved a life. >> i love you, buddy. >> reporter: now a lifelong friend. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york.

>> and tonight robert and richie tell us they're recovering from surgery and they're doing well. that is "nightly news" for this friday night. i'm savannah guthrie in for lester. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and have a great evening. we )re tracking , and hail. so what does it mean for the weekend? a live look at the radar, where we )re still seeing some green at this hour. the news at 6 starts right now: good evening and thanks for joining us. i )m raj mathai. and i )m jessica aguirre. a lot of snow in the sierra. and weird weather here in the bay area. hail hitting the bay area. a viewer sent us this video of hail falling in cupertino, just a few hours ago. meteorologist kari hall joins is tracking this storm for us. kari? this storm is also bringing fresh powder to the sierra.